“Please leave a nam—” Amber gripped her phone tighter and closed her eyes trying to settle her racing heart. It cannot be true. It cannot be true, right, this was a joke, right, a sick joke, right?
What the hell was she going to do now? Andrew was running around chasing, whatever his name was with the ball. Amber must have the worse luck on earth, how the hell did she end up dating Sonia's ex?
No, worse than that. Andrew was not his son and she God forsaken knew! Amber stared up at the sky and never thought a day would come when she would ask for guidance from God, but she needed it right now.
“Amber!”
Amber looked down and her heart seized up as she noted Andrew pushing the ball towards her. Her legs wobbled. No, no, no, no, no, she was exposed. Sweat peeled off Amber's face slowly amid her bated breath. Amber struggled to speak.
“Ha ha, ain't that cute, Andrew already remembered your name,” Latasha said.
Amber gave a nervous chuckle. “Yeah, sure.” Thank God, her brain almost ceased operation thinking of the explanations she had to conjure up. Amber was not good at lying and this was a situation where she did not know how to act.
Amber shook her head morosely and tried to consider her options. Well, leaving was the best option right now. She needed time to think. Amber called Sonia and got voicemail again.
Damn it Sonia, the one time Amber needed her advice Sonia was absent.
Solomon came out and waved at her. The pounding in her heart increased. Amber wanted to run, but her legs felt like jelly. What was she going to do now? She needed to get away from him.
Solomon picked up Andrew and walked over. “Hey, you okay? You look pale...”
Amber's lips quivered. “I-I ah, sick, I-I'm ss-sick. Yeah, my head just started to hurt me.”
Solomon frowned. “Well, me guess you won't stay for a while?”
Amber shook her head. A drop of sweat fell into her jacket.
Solomon nodded with understanding. He rocked Andrew on his shoulder getting him to giggle. “Say hi to Amber.”
“Amber!”
Solomon laughed. “Hey, that's good.”
Amber grinned reluctantly. As heartwarming as this was, it was built on a lie. Amber swallowed hard and held her chest trying to calm herself.
Solomon said as his smile melted away. “You sure you are okay? Yuh sweating, hard.”
“Yeah, I-I just need some sleep. That is all.”
“You sure you don't need anything, water, headache pills? Me ca' go get some. There is a shop just over the...”
Amber waved at him. She could not help smiling. “No, I am fine. Really, I just need some sleep. You are a good man, you know?”
Solomon titled his head back and forth saying, “I guess, but... I mean me believe in myself, but my thing has always been I can do better and I should. So trust me I think I can be better than good. I can be...the best thing you ever had.”
Amber snickered and waved him off, “Whatever.”
Solomon came close and Amber felt the heat rise as they stared at each other. Their bodies close, their lips parted in matrimony and her phone rang shaking her heart loose from the chains of his presence.
Amber blushed and said with a shake of her head, “I got to go.” She turned and left him, entering her car.
Amber pressed up the green circle, placed it on speaker and she heard Sonia's voice. “Hello?” Amber's arms shook. Amber swiftly took the car out of pack. In the corner of her eyes, she saw Solomon waving at her.
Amber steeled her body and focused on the road. She drove out.
“Hello?”
“Heeeeelllo?”
Sonia's voice felt like a knife to her chest right now, but Amber had to have this discussion. Amber said, “Hi Sonia.”
“Hey, sup girl?”
“A lot, Sonia, I just saw Andrew.”
Silence, there were crackles in the background.
Amber's lips parted as her heart hammered in her ears.
Sonia said, “Okaaay? Where exactly?” Then in a lower voice as if she was talking to herself. “What he really doing on the road...”
Amber breathed in hard. “Sonia, I saw him at Solomon's home. That name ring a bell?”
Silence, but Amber's heavy nasal breathing punctuated that quiet as she tried to calm her accelerated mess of emotions.
“That is my ex, How you reach there so?”
“Small world right? I am dating your ex, Sonia. I just found that out, t...today!” Amber said, obviously exasperated as she flicked her hair behind her ear.
“I see. Amber, darling, you didn't tell him anything about Andrew?”
Amber sighed. “No, bu—”
“Good, I knew I could trust you.”
Amber frowned. She moved onto the main road and said, “Sonia you need to tell him.”
“Tell who?”
“Him.”
“Tell him what?” Sonia asked. Amber did not like being taken for a fool. Sonia damn well knew what she was talking about.
“That Andrew is not his son.”
“Amber, listen to me very carefully. You tell Solomon not rascloth thing.”
“But we have to...no, you don't have to, but I do. I know him. Jesus Christ Sonia. You a trick the man into thinking the baby is his. I cannot sit there and see him and Andrew and not say a bom bo. It wrong! It wroooooong Sonia!”
“Hello miss, Solomon is not even yours. You are not his woman.”
“Wha'?”
“I am. I was with him first. Okay Amber, now listen if yuh want, you can gwan tek a piece. Enjoy yourself right? When you get bored of him which you will, left him like how you come see him, okay?”
“Sonia, didn't you say he was not your man?”
“I never said that. He is my man and he is cheating on me right now.”
“Noooo, you said you were not with him and he was not worth your time. Hell, you were dissing him like him was a mawga dog.”
“That is how I talk about all my men. Amb—”
“No Sonia, I cannot lie to his face like that.”
“Then dump him and just leave him to me.”
Amber was flabbergasted. So that was it, all those times spent were going down the drain over a terrible lie? There was no way! “No, me not doing that. When I asked him about you, he did not even want to talk about you. Me do not think you are in his life Sonia, not even one bit.”
“So ho—"
“And furthermore, I am not keeping your secret. How would it look on me to be knowing that and I said nothing to him...I have to tell him.”
“Alright Amber, alright hear me out. Okay? Okay? Hmm...Listen, Amber, what about Andrew? He don't deserve a father?”
Amber sucked air in disgust. “Not like that!”
“Ok, I get it. I understand. But even if it was by blood, most men do not care about their children. Andrew needs a father and it would be good for Solomon to have a son. I mean you saw him right. He was happy was he not?”
Amber paused and her heart paced itself at its fast rate. She inhaled deeply and shrugged. “Yes, I guess.”
“See, Solomon was made to be a father. Plus it stabilize him and all those things, remember eno Solomon is very needy, I suspect suicidal. I been with him for years. You know he once broke a teacher's jaw. Actually, that was what got him kicked out of school. He was always quick to anger. Always in my face, threatening me. Girl, you cannot handle them man here, this is why I am telling you to dash him way, save yourself the trouble.”
Amber sighed. But the anger thing, she never saw him angry. Was that really a problem, or maybe he was hiding it, because they were not a true couple yet? He heard of men who change like night and day when they get comfortable with someone.
The idea sickened Amber to her stomach. It was like Rohan all over again, but cheating was not what she was going to deal with. Amber blurted out flatly, “That makes it worse.”
“True, but this is exactly why you shouldn't tell him. You care about him right? Don't tell him. What he don't know won't kill him.”
“I—”
“Amber, it already bad already, don't make it worse. We have to do this for his and Andrew's sake.”
Amber shook her head in dismay. It really pissed her off that she was stuck in this situation. How was she going to act in front of Solomon now? Every time she saw Andrew, she would be reminded of what she knew, the lie she kept.
Amber gripped the wheel tight as she stopped at a stop light. The rubber bit into her skin leaving angry red marks.
Sonia continued, “Don't tell him, he might do something stupid. As much as me and him never work out. I do not want anything to happen to him. Yuh zi me? I am not going to tell you what to do, but I am just saying his life is in your hands, that is all I have to say. So just know yourself.”
Horns blared behind her. Amber noted the green light and even now, she was not ready to go into the morning with confidence.
Mini-Glossary
Rascloth - An explicit word used in shock or in reaction to something amusing.
Mawga - is a term used in rural Jamaica for a thin person.
Dash him way - Throw him away